Manufacture of keys for rotary cylinder locks



' May 4, 1954 E. UHER 2677,4223 MANUFACTURE OF KEYS FOR ROTARY CYLINDER LOCKS Filed Oct. 12, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor y 4, 1954 E. UHER 2,677,423

MANUFACTURE OF KEYS FOR ROTARY CYLINDER LOCKS Filed Oct. 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Maw 3 EH0 rneys May 4, 1954 E. UHER MANUFACTURE OF KEYS FOR ROTARY CYLINDER LOCKS Filed Oct. 12, 1949 3 She ets-Sheet 5 z 13mm r AZZorrn ys wwww M Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE MANUFACTURE OF KEYS FOR ROTARY CYLINDER LOCKS Claims priority, application France October 21, 1948 6 Claims.

Rotary cylinder locks are constituted by an outer cylinder in which is rotatively mounted an inner cylinder containing tumbler elements which are guided transversely with respect to said inner cylinder. The insertion into the lock of the particular key pertaining thereto brings the tumbler elements into a position which permits the inner cylinder of said lock to rotate in its outer cylinder. The portions of the key which effectively act upon the tumbler elements will be called hereafter active portions and it is clear that the number of active portions should be equal to the number of tumbler elements.

In order that the safety be maximum and to avoid the simultaneous existence of two exactly identical looks, it is necessary to dispose of a great number of combinations. Each combination is identified by a number which is marked on the key. The outline of the key varies for each combination and it is difficult to manufacture such keys rationally and at a low cost, e. g. by punching.

One object of the invention is to provide a method permitting to obtain cylinder lock keys at a very low cost, said method consisting in punching step by step and successively the various active portions of the key web outline.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for embodying the above described method, in particular for manufacturing keys, the

active portions of which have their transverse axes equally spaced from each other and located at well defined heights with respect to the 1ongitudinal axis of the key.

The device according to the invention comprises essentially a number of pufnching sets equal to the number of possible heights of the active portions, each one of said sets corresponding to a well-defined height and being adapted to punch in the key an active portion having said height.

The invention will be more easily understood referring to the accompanying drawings in which are shown by way of illustration two embodiments thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a cylinder lock key the outline of which corresponds to a particular combination. i

Fig. 2 shows the positions of the various punching sets, each of which corresponds to one active portion, for the punching of another combination.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 7 showing, in efiect, a plan view of the lower part of one embodiment of the punching device.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the same device, taken on the line i l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view of the punches and die of one punching set.

Fig. 6- is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 65 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.

The device shown in the drawings is adapted to manufacture keys as shown in Fig. I. Said keys are intended for looks provided with seven tumbler elements positively controlled by the key without any drawback spring. They comprise seven active portions, each of which corresponds to one tumbler element, four different heights of said active portions, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the web, being possible. A key may be identified by a series of figures corresponding to the successive heights of the various active portions, those having the maximum height being identified by Figure 1; and so on.

The key of Fig. 1 may be identified by series- Since the keys of the type shown in Fig. l are to be used for looks comprising tumbler elements which are not provided with any spring and which are displaced in either direction under the sole action of the key, the two edges of said key are serrated and. the outlines of the both edges are conjugated, but the spacing between two corresponding active portions, measured at right angle to the longitudinal axis of the key, and on the transversal axes of the various active portions remains constant.

The tumbler elements can slide while remaining parallel to themselves so as to be brought into a position in which the lock may be actuated, position which is determined by the active portions of the outlines thanks to inclined planes which interconnect said active portions. In order to effect the punching of the active outline of the key by means of the smallest possible number of punching sets, said planes are all inclined by 45, which permits punching an outline comprising four different heights of the active portions by means of four punching sets only.

As shown in Fig. 2, the punching of the active portions of level I is effected by a pair of punches 1 and la. Similarly, the punching of the active portions of levels 2, 3 and i, is effected by pairs of punches 8-8a, 9-9a, l0l0a, respectively.

Each one of said punches comprising three cutting edges, one of which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the key, the two other edges being located on either side of and inclined by 45 with respect to said first edge. Punches l and la which are adapted to punch respectively the active portion of level I of one edge and the active portion of the other edge conjugated with the active portion of level 4 of said first mentioned edge have their straight cutting edge provided with a central trapezoidal indentation so as to punch corresponding teeth on the web.

Each punch has a symmetrical shape with respect to a plane perpendicular to th longitudinal axis of the web to be punched, said planes coinciding rigorously during the punching operations with th transverse axes of the active portions of said web.

The successive operating zones of the punches are overlapping and the width X of each punch is slightly smaller than distance Y between two adjacent active portion axes, the difierence YX being equal to the minimum horizontal size of the active portions i. e. that of an active portion located at level Each pair of punches is identified by the number of the particular height which may be punched therewith. Thus, when it is desired to obtain the key shown in Fig. l, which is identified by series l--2-3432l, the first section will be punched by means of punch pair l'la corresponding to height 5 and marked with number l, the second section by means of punch pair 8-8a corresponding to height 2 and marked with this number, and so on.

The device shown in Figs. 3 to 5 comprises a base plate I i, in holes 24 of which may slide the four punch pairs YTa, 88a, 9-9a and I-l0a. Said punches are secured on a supporting plate 25 and are so arranged on said plate that their axes of symmetry are located on the same straight line. As shown in Fig. 5, which is an elevational view of said punches, their lower end is flattened and carries the punching portion 23, which projects with respect to said flattened portion. Said punches are associated with hardened steel bars i2, acting as dies, secured on plate II by means of screws !3 and cut ofi with an outline which is complementary to that of the punches. Said dies l2 are each marked with the order number of the height to be punched therewith and ar provided along their longitudinal axis and along their whole length with a groove 25 into which a longitudinal rib 2! of the key can penetrate, so as to be guided therein. Conversely said dies could be provided with a rib in the case of the keys being grooved.

The part i8, acting as a common abutment and adapted to determine by its extensions I80. the correct position of the key inserted into the device, is integral through a bar I6 with guiding rods l slidably mounted in bores of base plate II and provided on their upper and lower edges with teeth i9 and idea acting as an escapement device. The spacing between two consecutive teeth is equal to the spacing between the axes of two consecutiv active portions of the key. The lower teeth are shifted with respect to the upper teeth by a length equal to half said spacing. The base plate is provided with two slots in which are slidably engaged small plates 20, each of which comprises an opening through which passes one of the guiding bars I5. The upper and lower edges of said opening are inclined by the same angle as teeth [9 and Na. Two springs 69 tend to hold said small plates in their upper position. Two springs ll urge the assembly constituted by rods [5, bar it and part I8 away from plate ll.

Two studs 29, against the lower face of which spring 69 presses the small plates 20, are secured in plate ii.

The device which has just been described operates as follows: bar i3 is brought to the position corresponding to the first step of the punching of the web against the action of springs [7. The key is inserted into the punching set identified by the order number of the level of the first active portion (I in the case of the key shown in Fig. 1). The punch-carrying plate is then 1ow ered and the first punching operation is efiected. During this operation, the lower portion of the small plates 20, which slide downwards under p the action of studs 29, releases the lower teeth of the guiding bars.

Abutments I8a have then been pushed back by a distance equal to the spacing between the transverse axes of the two active portions. That is, upon downward movement of the tools the lower teeth of the guiding bars is released from plate 20 which then engages an upper tooth on each bar. Upon upward movement of the tools, plate at disengages from the upper tooth of the bars and the lower part of each plate engages the next lower tooth on the bar.

The key is then withdrawn from said punching set to be introduced until it comes into contact with the corresponding abutment 18c into that punching set which carries the order number of the level of second active portion (2 in the case of the key shown in Fig. l) and another punching operation takes place as described above. The punchin operations are continued until the whole outline of the key has been punched.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of forming longitudinally extending cam surfaces on keys for operative engagement with two independently operable sets of tumbler elements in rotary cylinder type locks, by means of a plurality of equally spaced pairs of c'oacting notching dies, the cutting edges of which comprise each a middle portion lying substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of a passageway in which a given key blank is inserted for cutting and two adjoining lateral portions forming equal obtuse angles with the ends of said middle portion, the cutting edges of said dies which lie on the same side of the key blank being spaced different distances from the axis of said blank, which includes positioning lengthwise spaced points of the longitudinal edges of said blank in successive steps relative to successively selected pairs of said dies, and moving each said selected pair of dies after each positioning step toward and from said blank edges in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the blank in order to cut successivel lengthwise overlapping notches of predetermined depth simultaneously in both key blank edges at said points to form cam surfaces.

2. The method according to claim in which the successive cutting operations are performed at equally spaced points longitudinally of the key blank.

3. A punching apparatus for manufacturing from a thin metal band a cylinder lock flat key. the web of which has its two longitudinal edges serrated with conjugated active outlines each constituted by a combination of active portions having their transversal axes equally spaced along the longitudinal axis of the web, said active portions each having a height selected among a limited number of different heights with respect to said longitudinal axis, and said active portions being interconnected, when they have different heights, by slopes, all of which have the same inclination, said apparatus comprising a number of punching sets equal to said number of difierent heights and each adapted to punch in said metal band an active portion having the corresponding height, and including lateral edges so disposed as to form the slopes located on either side of said active portion 1f adjacent heights are difierent, means to locate the web in successive positions corresponding each to the punching of one of the successive active portions, whichever may be the particular punching set chosen for effecting this particular punching operation and means to shift automatically and step-by-step said 10- eating means with respect to all punching sets upon each punching operation, each step being equal to the spacing to be obtained between the axes of two successive active portions.

4. A punching apparatus according to claim 3 in which said punching sets each comprise two punches, adapted to cooperate with one common die, each one of said punches having three cutting edges, one of which is parallel, during the punching, to the longitudinal axis of said key, the two other edges being inclined by the same angle with respect to said first edge and being located on either side thereof, said angle corre sponding to the common inclination of said interconnecting slopes.

5. A punching apparatus according to claim 3 in which the axes of the different punches are parallel to each other.

6. A punching apparatus according to claim 3 in which said locating means comprise an abutment member determining the longitudinal position of the Web in each of said punching sets, resilient means acting on said abutment member in the direction of step-by-step shifting thereof, and escapement mechanism adapted to hold said member in each of its successive positions and. operable upon actuation of said punching sets to permit movement of said member with respect to said punching sets upon each punching operation by a distance equal to the spacing to be obtained between two successive active portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,458,217 Best June 12, 1923 1,958,235 Devlin May 8, 1934 2,058,719 Pigman Oct. 27, 1936 2,213,858 Gundersen et al. Sept. 3, 1940 2,325,230 Crane July 27, 1943 

